The final warm gust of summer kept me

slow, sloppy and in desperate need
for a distraction. The neighbor boy
and I crossed each other's gases
As he let his basketball roll into the street
Motionless, we each remained content
to let him suffer

I ran off to do what the boy
knew he could never do
His grandfather lay there
His belt directly atop the border
of the driveway and the mulch bed
His nose stayed crinkled sideways
after boring into the evergreen
that loomed over him and remained
as strong and young as he was
in the stories he told his grandson

His button down shirt hung atop his shoulders
The fabric collapsed into itself and left
his exposed wrinkled figure
heaving for each breath
Each bit of oxygen ushering
wth it a joyous singe of life into his soul

I bent over him and called out his name
He simply retorted "not now"
We repeated this interaction twice more
The fourth time he snapped
"What could you possibly need now, I just laid down"

He knew dinner wouldn't be quite ready
The game had long since been over
I introduced myself
He softened his tone and hoped
I'd come back some other time

"Frank, let me help you up"
"Don't bother, I'll get up in a minute"
"I am calling an ambulance"
"I am happy to just lay here for now"

He peered closer at the wood shards
beneath his spidered glasses
One stick was far thinner,longer, and beige
The rest of the plump cherry splinters
crumbled under this outsider
How peculiar it was that something
could be so out of place on this property